


Petals From My Heart

by SykoShadowRose



Series: Iron Dragon's Charms 2020 [3]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Fluff, Iron Dragon's Charms Week 2020, Language of Flowers, M/M, Other characters mentioned - Freeform, Qrow Expecting The Worst, Smidge Of Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:13:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27971384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SykoShadowRose/pseuds/SykoShadowRose
Summary: Qrow leaves flowers for everyone and buys some for himself. James and Tai understand what's being said and Clover goes to them to learn. And he's not too pleased with what Qrow has to say about himself.
Relationships: Clover Ebi/James Ironwood, Clover Ebi/Taiyang Xiao Long, James Ironwood/Taiyang Xiao Long, Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi, Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi/James Ironwood/Taiyang Xiao Long, Qrow Branwen/James Ironwood, Qrow Branwen/Taiyang Xiao Long
Series: Iron Dragon's Charms 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2045344
Comments: 14
Kudos: 42





	Petals From My Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Day 3: **Insecurities** /Arguments

Qrow blinked at the empty wall vase that had been installed next to his door, next to _all_ the doors really, and wondered which of his kids was responsible for convincing the Atlesians that this was a good idea. Sighing, he figured he should probably go and get some flowers for it since he didn’t have anything else to do. He’d been taken off duty for low aura, which he thought was bullshit but Tai had sided with James and he knew better than to argue with the blond about this. Especially with the kids in earshot. 

At the flower shop he ran into a bit of a dilemma. Thanks to both Tai (gardener extraordinaire that loved to understand the things he grew) and James (science dork that he was under the uniform), he knew more about the language of flowers than he’d ever thought he would. Which meant that while he’d like to get whatever looked nice, he couldn’t stop himself from considering the meaning behind the flowers he was buying. And he didn’t know who else knew the language but he was pretty sure at least Ruby and Yang knew some so he wondered if they’d get upset if he wasn’t careful. Oscar was a farmer so he might know what the flowers meant. He already knew James and Tai would know, though he wasn’t sure if Clover would.

While he would have liked to have bought a specific flower for each of them, he knew that they could apply to more than one on the teams so he ended up with slightly more than he intended. He bought Aster for Ruby mostly for the meaning of Love and Daintiness, though she was hardly fragile. White Camellia for the meaning of You're Adorable, which honestly applied to each of them individually and as a whole. The Daintiness of Hibiscus was more for Weiss, the girliest of the group by far even with how far she’d come. Honeysuckle’s Bonds of Love was for Yang’s loyalty to her team and Edelweiss’s Courage and Devotion were for Blake coming back and facing her past. Though the last two flowers could have belonged to any of the four girls. They were close and they were loyal. Their team would last far beyond the four years teams usually did for school and he was happy about it. They needed the support of each other with all that was going on.

After that he turned his attention to the next team, which was a bit harder to do as he felt he didn’t know them quite so well. But he grabbed Coreopsis for the seemingly Always Cheerful Nora along with White Chrysanthemum for the Truth she stood for. Coriander’s Hidden Worth/Merit felt like a perfect fit for the blond knight who’d previously struggled to even unlock his semblance, only to discover in a critical moment that it was exactly what was needed to save Weiss’s life. Morning Glory fit the quiet Affection Ren had for his team, particularly Nora, and after a brief hesitation he grabbed Purple Hyacinth for the Sorrow they still carried over Pyrrha’s loss. A wound like that would take years to fully heal and even after it would continue to ache. The fact that they’d only been together for a year did not lessen the loss of their teammate or mean that they would get over her any faster than his team (what was left of it) would have gotten over Summer.

Qrow put some thought into Oscar, wondering if he should put one that said sorry in the batch but decided against it. He’d apologized already and he didn’t want the kid to feel like he was being pressured into forgiving him. So he got some Daisy for Innocence and Hope, both things Oscar had before the lamp had told them the truth. Lilac for Joy of Youth that he hoped Oscar would still embrace and Sweet Woodruff for the Humility the young farm boy carried. Qrow prayed the kid wouldn’t get upset or offended at his choices. He really didn’t need anything else to be sorry for right now.

The hunter paused when he got to Tai’s flowers, putting a bit more thought into the blond than into the others so far. After some consideration he picked up some Arborvitae for the Unchanging Friendship that had lasted since they first met back at Beacon. The Magnolia’s Love of Nature fit the brawler’s love of gardening so that was a pretty obvious choice. He spent a brief time debating between Dwarf Sunflowers for the Adoration they represented and the fact that Tai frequently grew them but eventually picked the Yellow Tulip for the meaning of Sunshine in Your Smile, which made him think of Tai much more than any other flower he’d found. After biting his lip nearly all the way through he slipped some Gardenia into the batch, hoping and not hoping that his Secret Love would be seen after so many years of going unnoticed. 

The first few flowers for James were easy to pick out. He grabbed some Chamomile for Patience in Adversity, a nod to the strife he had been facing since the fall of Beacon. Nasturtium’s Patriotism and Amaryllis’s Pride were quickly added to the bouquet for the General of Atlas, both fitting him better than Qrow wanted to admit. The lithe man added some Blue Salvia to let the older man know he cared, the message I Think of You hopefully enough to get his meaning across without being overbearing. It was bad enough he was risking himself with Tai, to do it with James as well was making his hands tremble just a bit.

He hadn’t known Clover for as long as the other two but he had a few ideas for the man in mind already. Angelica for the Inspiration he was to those around him. Goldenrod for the Encouragement he gave and the Good Fortune of his semblance. And Bluebell for the Humility and Constancy Clover carried around like a cloak. Qrow picked up a Pink Camellia, the thought Longing For You, in his mind as he thought of their flirting. The idea of revealing himself to Clover wasn’t nearly as frightening as it was with James and Tai, probably because he had a better feeling that Clover might like him back. Though it could have also been because he was pretty sure the Captain wouldn’t know what the flowers meant at all. Shrugging, he added some to the collection. He’d always favored honestly and it couldn’t hurt to put it out there. The worst that could happen was he’d be rejected three times and he was already expecting two of them anyways. 

For himself, Qrow picked out some Rhododendron and Begonia, both a warning to Beware though the former also warned Danger while the latter carried Dark Thoughts. He added some Red Carnation for Alas For My Poor Heart and My Heart Aches since he was expecting to be rejected by at least two of the three men if not all three of them. Red Columbine for Anxious and Trembling were grabbed for the same reason. He picked up some Anemone as Forsaken and Sickness fit him pretty well, he thought. The last thing he added, almost absently, was Forget-Me-Not as True Love Memories and Do Not Forget Me were things that mattered to him.

As he was leaving he picked some Daffodil for Regard and Unequaled Love and some Wallflower for Faithfulness in Adversity to place by Penny’s door. He wasn’t sure how the girl would take it but if he was getting some for the rest of the kids, he’d feel guilty leaving her out. She was just as much a kid as the rest of them, artificially created or not. She was alive and he would treat her as such which meant giving her some flowers of her own. Though he wasn’t sure what all to get her and hoped the two different kinds he picked would be enough.

After paying what was probably a ridiculous amount for the flowers he went to place them next to their intended doors. Some of them didn’t exactly go with each other aesthetically, he supposed, but the meaning was more important than the look. To him anyways, and hopefully to the ones he was giving them to. The task had taken up a good chunk of his day, thankfully, so he was able to go back to his room and lay down for a nap after placing his own flowers in their vase. 

~*~

Clover twisted the few flowers around, looking at them from all angles as he walked. He didn’t know much about flowers, honestly, but the chaotic arrangement gave him the impression that these were picked for their meaning instead of how they looked. So, after plucking one of each kind out of the vase, he was on his way to see the one man he knew that could tell him what they meant. Upon entering the office, he saw a small crystal vase of four different flowers sitting on the front of it. Tai was already in the room, holding some of his own flowers. 

“So, I see both of you also got a visit from the flower fairy.”

The blond coughed out a laugh, obviously struggling to control himself as he likely imagined the reaction to whomever left the flowers. Given the limited information he had, Clover was betting it was Qrow, which just made him smile. He was going to have to call the other that to his face so he could witness the look it invoked. Might be the last thing he saw in this world but it would be worth it. 

“Indeed we did. Tai and I were discussing the meanings behind the flowers.”

“Ah, yea. That’s what I came here to ask about actually. I don’t know what these mean but I was curious.” Clover approached the desk, laying the blooms down on the surface for the two men to see. He watched curiously as the two men shared a look, both brows going up when the flowers and their messages were explained to him. “Huh. Okay, hang on. If he got flowers for everyone else, he probably got some for himself and I wanna know what they are. I’ll be right back.”

James sat back as Clover turned on his heel and quickly left the room, watching as Tai picked up the gardenia, blue salvia and pink camellia to set them together in his vase, the rest of the flowers now leaving a line of water on his desk top. The Captain returned far more quickly than he’d expected him to, laying the new set out for them to investigate. James could feel a frown forming as he recalled the meaning of each one, glancing over to see the almost angry look on Tai’s face before catching the patient curiosity on Clover’s. James then explained the meaning of each with a heavy sigh, picking them up as he told the younger man the messages behind them. Clover’s brow furrowed, his lips turning down in displeasure as each one was presented. 

He tipped his head curiously when Clover grabbed both their wrists and pulled them to the door, some rather impressive maneuvering going on to get him out of the chair and around the desk without tripping. Once they were in the hall, the brunette let go of them, turning to make his way purposefully down the hall. “Come on, we’re going shopping…”

~*~

Qrow stopped outside his door when a flash of color caught his eye, turning to look properly at the vase he’d just filled the day before. He’d expected the kids to change their flowers whenever they got around to going out for their own if they decided they didn’t like the ones he’d given them but he’d planned to leave his own until they started losing petals to the floor. It was far too much effort to waste changing them until they needed it and he was happy with what he’d chosen, so what would have been the point? Especially since he’s pretty sure he was just going to replace them with a new set of the same damned flowers. They fit him, fit what he was and his mood. There was no reason to go looking for any other flowers if he didn’t have too. The only two he _might_ have changed would have been the Red Carnation and the Red Columbine. But not for a while.

So it was more than a small surprise to him, to see a burst of colorful _different_ flowers that had somehow replaced the ones he’d picked for himself. There were only two men he knew in his life who would have understood his flower choices and only three who he knew would have thrown them out to replace them with the ones he was currently staring at. He let his fingers trail over them, taking the time to remember what each one meant and guessing who had chosen the bloom for him. 

Next to his door was a new set of Clematis for his Mental Beauty and Red Salvia that declared Forever Mine, both of which he thought may have come from James. The Pink Carnation’s message of I'll Never Forget You probably came from Tai, who would have understood his choice of Forget-Me-Nots better than anyone. Red Camellia’s You're a Flame in My Heart likely came from the brawler as well. Qrow was willing to bet that the Violets for Loyalty, Devotion, Faithfulness, and Modesty came from Clover, who was always praising him for such traits. And if the White Clover’s Think of Me didn’t come from Clover he would do something drastic. He didn’t know what yet, but something. The Captain loved puns almost as much as Tai did and that one had likely been too good for the man to pass up. Though Tai probably encouraged him. Heliotrope’s Eternal Love and Devotion as well as White Jasmine’s Sweet Love and Amibity could have come from any of the three, or it could have come from all three of them, he wasn’t sure but in the end it didn’t matter. Plucking a pink carnation out of the vase with a small smile, he twirled it in his fingers as he set out to find the others. 

Looks like he hadn’t needed the Red Carnation and the Red Columbine after all...


End file.
